Brooder size needed for 20 baby chicks?

[451757]

What size brooder is best for 20 baby chicks (sex links, australorps, and easter eggers) to allow them enough room to grow and live in for about 6 weeks until they're ready to go outside permanently in the coop?
We live in Alabama, by the way, so would they be able to go outside into the coop (with or without a brooding setup) earlier than 6 weeks? The coop/run will be predator and draft/weather proof.

Also, what are y'alls thoughts on putting these 20 chicks (will be ordering them in September) with our 8 year old buff orpington hen who is always broody? Is that safe to do? Would we need to do anything special to the coop/run to baby chick proof it and/or make sure that they're getting their electrolyte water and chick starter? Our hen shares this space with her sister who is never broody.

 

[middle TN Nancy]

I put my 8 day-old chicks in a 30”x18” dog crate w/cardboard halfway up the sides - kept them in the guest room at first and moved the whole brooder to the coop when they were 5 days old, with the crate door fastened open. They had a heat plate for the first month (it was June) but now I’ve removed the brooder completely and they’re just in the coop and run (Fort Knox) - they will be 5 weeks old tomorrow.

 

[Folly's place]

The only reason mine aren't at the coop after their first few days from the post office, is because their Marek's vaccine needs two weeks or a bit more to be on board for them.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

I use a 100 gal. stock tank as a brooder in the garage, and then move the chicks to a separate area in the coop after they are about 2.5 weeks old, so they have time for their Marek's vaccine to take hold. The brooder is about 2'x 4' diameter, and their first coop area is about 3'x 5' in size. After another week or two, they get that area plus an area about 7'x 10' for another couple of weeks, and then can go outside and start mingling with the rest of the flock.
There's no reason that you can't brood your chicks in their coop, if it's a new set-up for a new flock, as long as they have their brooder plate to stay warm as needed.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

It will be tight, and it may be more difficult to manage the hear source. Do you mean a wire crate, or an airline crate type? The wire crate may have openings too large, allowing chicks to escape.
Some people use big appliance cardboard boxes too.
Anything you use must be protected from predators, and this includes any pet cats or dogs you may have.
And it needs a hardware cloth lid, if it's has an open top, like our stock tanks.
Mary

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I think we're going to just raise them ourselves instead of trying them with the hen in case her sister ever tried to hurt them and so they can bond with us better.

Aside from the extra large wire dog crate, we do have another wire dog crate that is just slightly smaller than the extra large. We thought about maybe connecting the two together to expand the brooder once they start reaching the 2 week mark. Would that work as a brooding setup for the full 6 weeks until they're fully feathered and can go outside without supplemental heat?

Also, we are so worried about raising them correctly and would much rather have juvenile chickens, but we can't find any from an online hatchery that won't cost us $700 between the cost of the birds aand shipping (sigh). So, that's why we're going with babies and praying that we not only do everything right, but that we also end up with 20 hens and no roos. Should we maybe strictly get sex links to be safe? And what are the bare, basic things we need to have/do with baby chicks to keep them healthy and alive? Should we request that they be vaccinated by the hatchery?

Check Craigslist. I at least, usually sell pullets after I know they're pullets from my order when they're older since they won't all fit my programs

 

[rosemarythyme]

Aside from the extra large wire dog crate, we do have another wire dog crate that is just slightly smaller than the extra large. We thought about maybe connecting the two together to expand the brooder once they start reaching the 2 week mark. Would that work as a brooding setup for the full 6 weeks until they're fully feathered and can go outside without supplemental heat?

Also, we are so worried about raising them correctly and would much rather have juvenile chickens, but we can't find any from an online hatchery that won't cost us $700 between the cost of the birds and shipping (sigh). So, that's why we're going with babies and praying that we not only do everything right, but that we also end up with 20 hens and no roos. Should we maybe strictly get sex links to be safe? And what are the bare, basic things we need to have/do with baby chicks to keep them healthy and alive? Should we request that they be vaccinated by the hatchery?

Measure the crates to know for sure. If you really are intending to keep them in the brooder without any outside access for 6 weeks, I'd go even bigger than what I originally advised, like 30 sq ft by 6 weeks. Can I ask why you're so set on 6 weeks as the move out date? Are you not located in northern hemisphere?

And actually, where will the brooders be located? Do you have an integration plan already? If you can run heat outside, brooding them in view of the hens would be optimal to shorten integration time a bit.

If you absolutely don't want to risk getting males, sex links might be a good option, though keep in mind the trade offs with getting higher production birds.

As far as vaccinating, that's a personal choice - some people believe in vaccinating their flocks, some don't. Mine are vaccinated for Mareks only because my local feed stores seem to all order them that way.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I've just read that 6 weeks old is the norm. We live in Alabama so my original plan was to move them outside at 4 weeks. Thoughts?

They won't be integrated with the hens. We were only going to put them with the hens when we thought about seeing if our broody hen would take to them, but we don't want to risk the other hen (her sister) hurting them.

I'm in WA and the longest I've had chicks in a brooder was 5 weeks, and they were absolutely insane at that point. Since then I've raised them outside and they start getting run access at 2 weeks and come off heat 3-4 weeks.

If you're not going to integrate them with the hens, you have the chicks' coop and run set up?

 

[451757]

I use a 100 gal. stock tank as a brooder in the garage, and then move the chicks to a separate area in the coop after they are about 2.5 weeks old, so they have time for their Marek's vaccine to take hold. The brooder is about 2'x 4' diameter, and their first coop area is about 3'x 5' in size. After another week or two, they get that area plus an area about 7'x 10' for another couple of weeks, and then can go outside and start mingling with the rest of the flock.
There's no reason that you can't brood your chicks in their coop, if it's a new set-up for a new flock, as long as they have their brooder plate to stay warm as needed.
Mary

Thanks! We have an extra large dog crate that we had planned on using, but wasn't sure if it would be sufficient enough? We would cover it in hardware cloth and insert cardboard to hold bedding in, but how long do you think the crate would be okay for before they would have to go into something bigger? I think the crate itself is maybe a 2x4.

Is it safe to say that the crate would be big enough for maybe the first 4 weeks of their lives and then they could go outside into their coop? Or no?

 

[451757]

It will be tight, and it may be more difficult to manage the hear source. Do you mean a wire crate, or an airline crate type? The wire crate may have openings too large, allowing chicks to escape.
Some people use big appliance cardboard boxes too.
Anything you use must be protected from predators, and this includes any pet cats or dogs you may have.
And it needs a hardware cloth lid, if it's has an open top, like our stock tanks.
Mary

It's a wire crate, but we do plan to cover it in hardware cloth.